Once Upon A Time
by Rokeby
Summary: AU. Inspired by the movie The Swan Princess. Buffy and Angel are heirs to the throne in their respective kingdoms, but their parents want to unite the two kingdoms, which means marriage between the two kids. The story starts close to their first meeting.
1. Chapter 1

Once Upon A Time

**Disclaimers:** Yeah, I own the whole thing.. I was the one who wanted Buffy to get together with Riley and Spike, and I cheered when Angel left Sunnydale…WRONG!..I don't own ANYTHING of this. If I had, Angel and Buffy would live happily together. Joss Whedon & Crew owns it all.

- The plot mostly belongs to the creators of The Swan Princess, but the parts you don't recognize, belongs to me.

- The characters you don't recognize from Buffy or from The Swan Princess, also belong to me and my imagination.

- Thanks to: My beta, Emma's Angel. This hadn't been posted if it wasn't for you. J

**Rating:** Rated T, just for safety.

**A/N:** English isn't my first language, so be nice.

**Review:** **Read and Review** People!.. Reviews keep me going.

**Other info:**

**Memoira:** The kingdom where Buffy lives  
**Soutine: **The kingdom where Angel lives  
**Millenia:** A kingdom who won't be mentioned for a while. Millenia has the right to take over Memoira if they don't get a new king.

* * *

**Prologue**

Once upon a time there was two neighbor kingdoms, living in peace, like they  
always had. Both kingdoms were wealthy and managed well. The kingdoms lie  
on each side of a great lake. One kingdom had a huge forest while the other  
had great valleys and mountains.

The kingdom with the valleys was called Memoira and the kingdom with the   
forest was called Soutine. The king and queen of Memoira were loved of their  
people and they ruled fair. Their names were King Rupert and Queen Joyce.  
The king and queen of Soutine were also loved of their people and they ruled  
fair. Their names were King Ethan and Queen Jennifer. The kings and queens  
had perfect lives but still they felt that something was missing. None of  
them had kids, none of them had heirs.

For many years they lived without kids, and they were in sorrow. But one day  
in their ninth year of ruling, Queen Jennifer gave birth to a beautiful baby  
boy. A prince. He got the name Liam Angelus, but he was just called Angel,   
since he was his mothers little miracle, and his fathers angel. King Ethan  
and Queen Jennifer adored their son and looked after him, played with him  
and taught him the right ways to live. Angel was born with black hair and  
chocolate brown eyes.

The year after the birth of Prince Angel, happiness came to Memoira as   
well. Queen Joyce gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. A little princess.  
She got the name Beatrice Elizabeth. She was loved as much as Angel, and was  
her parent's little jewel. She also got a nickname, Buffy. She had  
emerald green eyes and bright blonde hair.

But not all was happiness and joy. After giving birth to her daughter, Queen  
Joyce was weak and had a long time of sickness. The day after Princess  
Buffy's second birthday, she died. The kingdom grieved for a long time, and  
King Rupert grieved deeply about the loss of his beloved wife. He became  
very protective over his only daughter, not wanting to lose her as well.

It wasn't just Memoira that suffered a deep loss. The year after the death  
of Queen Joyce of Memoira, King Ethan of Soutine died. He had been in a war  
against Millennia, a kingdom far away and had gotten seriously hurt. He died  
of his injuries.

Both kingdoms grieved deeply and King Rupert and Queen Jennifer were in deep  
sorrow after losing their beloved ones. Memoira was also a little worried.  
They hadn't any prince to take over the throne when King Rupert died, they  
just had a princess. Don't misunderstand, they loved little princess Buffy,   
but it was only a prince who could inherit the throne. They were afraid that  
Millennia would try to take the kingdom.

Their worries disappeared when King Rupert and Queen Jennifer got an idea.  
The two parents met on the annual United Kingdoms meeting. Their idea was to  
let Angel and Buffy meet once or twice a year, and maybe they'd fall in  
love, get married and unite the two kingdoms. King Rupert and Queen Jennifer   
agreed that they should meet each other at the summer castle that lay just  
at the limit between the two kingdoms. They should be there thewhole summer and  
leave in the autumn. The first meeting was going to take place the summer  
when Angel was six and Buffy was five.


	2. Visits

**Chapter One - Visits**

It was a sunny day, the sky was blue and the birds sang. The grass was green  
and the flowers were in bloom. A blonde little girl, about five years old  
sat outside in the flower field with a red haired girl.

The blonde girl wore  
a long pink dress with white laces on the back and around the waist, had a pink hair thing in her hair, and she wore small pink shoes.  
The red haired girl wore a long, light green dress with a few small white  
stars on the skirt and the top. The dress had also white laces on the back  
and around the waist. Her shiny red hair was pulled in a high ponytail that  
was held up with a green silky band.

The two girls made flower wreaths of pink, purple, yellow and white flowers  
while they talked.

"Are you really going away the whole summer Buffy?" the red haired girl  
asked the blonde, looking sadly at her.

Buffy nodded. "Yes Willow. My dad and I are going to the summer castle,  
five hours from here" she told the red head, Willow.

"What are you going to do there?" Willow asked Buffy. Even though she was  
sad, she was a little curious as well.

Willow Rosenberg was Buffy's best friend, daughter of Duke James Rosenberg.  
She lived in a little castle about fifteen minutes away from Buffy's  
gigantic castle. Buffy had known Willow since they were two, since her father  
and Willow's father were good friends.

"We are gong to meet someone, I believe" Buffy replied.

Willow looked down at her flower wreath.

"Do you know who?" she asked.

Buffy looked thoughtful for a minute or two before she replied.

"A Queen called Jennifer and her son Liam, or something".

Willow nodded. "Sounds exciting. I hope he's nice" Willow said and smiled to  
Buffy.

"Yeah. Me too" Buffy replied.

At the same time, in another kingdom, but in a garden, two boys sat in a  
tree house, making tree swords and talking. The boy with the brown hair sat  
on the floor hammering a spike into a plate of tree, while the other boy,  
who was blonde, was painting his sword black.

"I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with that girl all summer!" the  
brown haired boy exclaimed and looked at the blonde boy.

"Are you sure it's going to be that bad, Angel?" the blonde asked.

Angel brushed some brown hair out of his eyes, and looked at his best  
friend.

"She's a girl, and not any kind of girl, she's a princess. Which means that  
she's probably spoiled, annoying and well, too girly" Angel replied.

The blonde looked at Angel.

"Drusilla is a girl" he said simply as he got up from the floor, brushing  
sawdust from his knickers.

"I know that Will, but she's different" Angel replied. William looked at him  
and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're right" Angel said and sighed. "I guess I have to see how she  
is".

William Castle was Angel's cousin. He was born in the same year as Angel,  
but a few months later. William's father was the Duke of Skylark, George  
Castle. Williams mother, Duchess Wilhelmina Castle, was Queen Jennifer's  
sister. William and his mother were often visiting Queen Jennifer and Angel.

William was a little smaller than Angel. He had short, bright blonde hair, a  
long fringe that often hung over his eyes, which were icy blue. William wore  
blue knickers, a white cotton shirt, a black vest and brown knee-high boots.  
He was much alike Angel in mind, temper and opinions, but Angel was much  
more broodish and had much more responsibility than William. Angel was  
heir to the throne, and was already learning how to rule a kingdom. William  
was only the son of a Duke, and no one expected much of him, except to  
behave well and get married.

William looked at Angel who now was busy painting his sword.

Angel had brown hair and deep, dark chocolate brown eyes. He wore a white  
cotton shirt and a black vest, just like William, black knickers and black  
knee-high boots.

"Are you going to visit me when I'm at the summer castle?" Angel asked his  
cousin, not taking his gaze from the sword.

"No, I don't think so. Maybe, but I heard your mother and my mother talk  
that you and her not are to be disturbed when you are there. Except  
emergencies" William replied, looking at Angel. Angel nodded.

"Prince Liam, Lord William!" The two boys looked at each other and peeked  
out through the window in the tree house. Down at the ground stood one of  
the maids.

"What is it May?" Angel asked and climbed down from the tree house. William  
followed shortly.

"The Ladies wants to see you" she said politely and shortly. "Follow me,  
please".

Angel and William followed obediently.

All the maids who served Queen Jennifer wore black dresses that reached to  
little lower than the knees, black shoes, white stockings, white shirts and  
white aprons.

The two boys followed the maid to the little living room on the second  
floor. Angel's mother sat in a huge blood red chair, dressed in a long  
purple dress with a silver crown on her head. William's mother sat in  
another chair, identically to the one who Queen Jennifer sat in, she wore a  
red dress and had a silver wreath on her head.

"There you are" Duchess Wilhelmina exclaimed.

The boys sat down in the couch that matched the two chairs.

"Been in the tree hut again, Angel?" Queen Jennifer asked, knowing the  
answer would be yes. Angel nodded. "Yes mother" he replied clearly. "

Had a feeling" the brown haired Queen replied, closing her eyes. Williams  
mother rose from the chair.

"My son and I have to leave, Jenny. We are expecting Baron Kendrake and his  
family for dinner" she told Queen Jennifer, who nodded.

"Goodbye Liam, see you in the autumn" Wilhelmina said, and smiled to her  
nephew. "Come on, William. Drusilla is probably waiting for you" she said,  
now addressing her son.

"Bye Angel" William said, as he followed his mother.

"Bye William" Angel called after him.

Queen Jennifer looked at her only son.

"Mother, why is Drusilla and her family so often at William's?" Angel asked  
after a while with silence.

Queen Jennifer closed her eyes. "So you've noticed?" she asked after a  
while, not opening her eyes. Her question hung in the air a little.

"Yes, I have. Every time William is here, he always have to leave because  
Drusilla is coming" he replied.

"Drusilla is Williams fiancée" Queen Jennifer said simply. The young heir to  
Soutine's throne looked at his mother.

"They're going to be married someday?" he asked curiously.

"Yes".

Angel looked at the picture on the table. It was taken half an year ago, on  
Angels birthday. It was of him, William and Drusilla. They all smiled  
happily to the camera, Drusilla lacked her two front teeth.

"May I be excused?".  
Queen Jennifer opened her eyes. "Yes. Of course" she said and smiled a  
little to her son.

Angel bowed and headed out of the room. "

Don't forget to pack your clothes and everything else. We're leaving  
tomorrow" she added. "

Yes mother" he said and walked out of the room.

Angel opened the brown door made of oak and walked into his bedroom.  
It was a huge room with light blue walls and wooden floor. There were two  
large windows which Angel used to sit in at night when he couldn't sleep. At  
the moment, the windows were open and the dark blue curtains hung on each  
side of the windows, blowing slowly in the wind. The room was furnished with  
a large four-poster bed, a desk, currently covered with books and drawings,  
three wooden chairs, one black carpet, three bookshelves, a piano, a  
wardrobe and two huge boxes with toys. All the furniture was painted navy  
blue.  
Angel headed towards his bed, where a big brown trunk had been placed on the  
blue comforter.

He opened the trunk. Just as he thought. Empty. He let a small hand run  
through his messy, brown hair, before he walked towards the wardrobe.

He pulled out a pile of clothes, which included pants, shirts, socks,  
underwear and so on. He also found his riding boots and some extra boots,  
just in case his usual pair would get wet.  
"That should be enough" he said to himself as he carried the huge pile of  
clothes and shoes back to his bed. Then, he folded the clothes and put them  
in the trunk, along with the shoes.

When he was finished, he noticed that he hadn't filled the trunk, even  
though he had packed a lot of clothes. Mom always gives me an enormous trunk ,  
he thought and rolled his eyes. Angel knew that his mother wanted him to  
fill up his trunk, or else she would do it for him. So he put a few wooden  
swords, a saddle and some other things in the trunk. With a satisfied  
grin, he carried the heavy trunk out of the room, and put it by the stairs  
so the butler could carry it down to the wagon

Angel wouldn't sit in the wagon of course. He was going to ride beside it,  
while his mother and some few servants and other people would sit in the  
wagon. His mother would probably try to make him, but Angel knew as well as  
Queen Jennifer that he was one of the most stubborn creatures on earth. If  
Angel didn't want to, he didn't do it.

* * *

So.. What do you think? **Read&Review**, please  
Thanks to you who reviewed the prologue, and thanks to Emma's Angel, my beta. 


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